Squad Foxtrot
by Mini Boss Majoring
Summary: Shepard can't be at every fight. Squad Foxtrot is one of 25 N7 inter-species squads for high risk operations. They are one of the most successful squads on record. And they fought, bled, and died for that title, even if they didn't want it.
1. Menae LZ

Squad Foxtrot

Chapter 1:

Menae LZ

Timothy Retch kept a grip on the Kodiak shuttle's handhold as they dipped down. His armor and helmet were already on, and the way things looked, they would be for a while. His eyes were switching back and forth from the video feed on the shuttle to the rest of the team. In all of his meager experience, he'd never worked on an inter-species team before, even if they were still Alliance-led.

They were a Quarian and a Turian. The Quarian was sitting down, hands on her knees with her fingers tapping out a steady rhythm. Timothy had only ever seen a few Quarians in his life before, and never had he been this close to one. And soon he would be trusting her and that M-98 Mantis on her back with his life. She wasn't paying attention to him, trading her looks between some point in space and the screen as well.

Naturally, the Turian's attention was glued to the screen. His eyes were shut, but it was plain to Tim that the Turian could still see it. His posture was rigid, body still facing the screen, and his talons gripped a Phaeston rifle. Tim had met more Turians than he had Quarians, but right now he could only guess how the Turian felt. Tim still felt that way.

Together with their CO they formed Squad Foxtrot, one of twenty-five N7 Special Ops teams for high risk operations and special assignments. They were supposed to be some of the best around, designed to cripple Reaper advances and forces. Tim hoped it was enough. The way things looked now, he could use as much hope as he could: that included branching out to his new teammates.

"So," he spoke out, cutting the tension. "What are your names? I didn't get a good look at the datapad, and calling each other by species might get confusing since there are two of us Humans."

He could be sure, but he was certain the Quarian's look in his direction wasn't approving his tone. However, it was enough to pull the Turian out of his state. He looked at Tim before answering. "Syris Lynnrax, Special Forces Engineer," he said.

The Quarian followed suit. "Mari'Teen vas Rayya," she offered. "What about you?"

"Petty off—sorry. Lieutenant Tim Retch," Tim greeted. He couldn't help the bitter touch to his next words. "I was still only a petty officer a few days ago. They even bumped me up from an N4 to an N6."

It was Syris who felt a connection on those words. He looked the Human in the eyes of his recon hood. "Bad?" he asked hesitantly.

Tim swallowed and nodded. "Yeah. Bad," he agreed. Both traded glances at the video screen. "Don't worry. Soon we'll have them back and we'll be showing each other the best bars."

Syris spread his mandibles a little. "I hope you're right," he said.

"I usually am," Tim promised. He glanced at Mari, who had been quiet after giving her name. "So Rayya—"

"Rayya is my ship name," Mari interrupted.

"Oh. Um, Mari then?" Tim asked. Mari nodded her consent. "So how did you hook up with us, Mari? I didn't know we'd made contact with the Quarian fleet."

"You haven't, and frankly neither have I. I can't reach my people and I don't know where they are, so I found one of your Alliance recruiters. At least, that's what I assume you mean by hook up," Mari explained. She shook her head. "Your people's expressions are very confusing."

Tim felt a grin coming and he couldn't help himself. Anything to ease the mood before they dropped. He glanced over at their CO before speaking. "Really? How about this one: A Kro—"

"Lieutenant."

Shoot; she'd heard. Their squad CO, the other Human in the group, had been staring at the wall and quiet the entire trip. But now she had turned around and was staring straight at Tim, her M-23 Katana held casually by the handle. Tim cut off mid-sentence when she'd called out his rank, and straightened instinctively.

"If you even dare finish that crack at me I will shoot you myself so help me high heaven. Got it lieutenant?" she demanded.

"Yes ma'am right ma'am. Don't doubt it at all ma'am," Tim answered, the cheeky aspect in his voice still apparent. In response, their CO gave him a sharp glare before slapping him over the back of the head. Then she launched into the mission briefing, holding up her omni-tool for visual aid.

Syris kept holding his breath for a while after their CO started their briefing. The audacity of Lieutenant Retch would have been unbelievable if he'd hadn't seen it himself. There was no way it was just a Human thing to be like that, or else the Human military would have collapsed long before the Reapers assault. And then their CO had shrugged it off with what Syris assumed was reprimanding to a human. He could only suspect they knew each other from before. But he had more important things to think about as their CO spoke.

Mari simply thought Tim was a cheeky fool and he deserved every slap he got.

"I'm N7 Captain Elizabeth Harper," the CO began, and there was no doubt as to who was in charge. She had done this before. "Like the lieutenant here I got a promotion after Earth but this isn't my first rodeo. Welcome to Squad Foxtrot. We're going to be setting down in a few minutes on Menae."

"That's a moon of Palaven, right?" Mari asked. Syris wanted to answer desperately why it was so much more than that, but he was a soldier. He was being briefed.

Fortunately, Captain Elizabeth seemed to know more than the regular Human or Quarian. "It's a major battleground for the Turians and Reapers right now with Palaven under siege. The Turian Primarch is reported to be on Menae," Elizabeth explained. Syris's eyes widened and he unconsciously increased his grip on his Phaeston. No wonder the Turians generals weren't afraid to help the Human N7 Special Ops teams if this was their objective. Elizabeth continued. "I've been informed that Commander Shepard himself is going to be picking up the Primarch. We, along with four other squads, are going to give the Reapers hell during that pickup time."

"So drop in, shoot some husks and wear a target," Tim summed. "Anything else, Captain?"

"Yeah. We're going to be recapturing an AA gun. So stick close, follow orders and don't die. Or else," Elizabeth warned. It didn't sound like a good 'or else'.

Tim saluted, Syris straightened and Mari nodded. Mari may have been Quarian Special Ops, but this was a new battlefield. Quarian Special Ops were stealth focused, with combat as an alternative. That wouldn't fly in this kind of battle. She'd have to double time to keep up with Captain Elizabeth. But as far as first impressions went, she was already liking the gruff Human.

"Weapons out; we'll be going in hot," Elizabeth ordered, hefting her shotgun with both hands. Mari unfolded her Mantis as Tim took out a simple M-3 Predator. He had more than his pistol to rely on. Syris already had his assault rifle ready. This mission was for Palaven.

The shuttle doors opened and Elizabeth fired at the first enemy she could see, killing a husk with a torso hit. "Go!" Elizabeth shouted, and they hopped out firing. She took down a second Reaper soldier, a Cannibal this time. For a brief second, her eyes focused on the burning planet beyond the horizon. For Palaven, indeed. And hopefully Earth.


	2. Menae

Disclaimer: I forgot this. So you know what? Not only will I disown any share of Mass Effect and Bioware (on a fanfiction site), I'll even offer these characters. That way in fifty years, I might be able to lean back and say, "Yeah. That was my idea."

Chapter 2

Menae

The Mantis was a beautiful weapon but it wasn't designed for knife-range combat. Fortunately Mari had been trained along with every Quarian marine for ship fighting. More specifically, she had been trained for this very kind of warfare. Mari fired her Mantis into the nearest Cannibal and used the bullet wound as an opening to drive her rifle like a spear into its gut. Drawing on all her strength she drove the Cannibal against the rock.

Behind her facing another front, Elizabeth pulled the trigger on her Katana and sent one more Reaper soldier to the grave. Syris shot at a Marauder farther back, keeping it and a Cannibal in cover. "I'll flush, you finish!" Elizabeth shouted. Syris nodded and loaded a fresh thermal clip and ammo block. Elizabeth broke from cover and fired her Katana at the cover before firing a concussive blast. It rocked both the Marauder and Cannibal from coverage, making them easy pickings for Syris's Phaeston fire. Elizabeth fired her shotgun again as she returned to cover. The enemy was thinning out on their front.

Mari left her Mantis sitting in the Cannibal's gut for now as a second Cannibal drew near. An omni-blade flared to life and Mari slashed the monster open. She reached to retrieve her rifle, only to find a Marauder between her and the Mantis. She activated her omni-blade again but didn't attack when a voice shouted behind her, "Duck!"

She hit the dirt, and a biotic orb soared through where she'd been. It hit the Marauder and trapped it within a stasis, right before it pulled the trigger. Mari picked herself up as Tim walked by to put a single shot between the Marauder's eyes. Mari picked her Mantis up and loaded another thermal clip in. "Nothing like an easy kill, huh?" Tim joked, keeping himself light on his feet. Mari aimed her rifle inches off of Tim's head and fired. A Cannibal dropped dead and Tim winced at the sound in his ears.

"If you're trying to impress me, don't do it on the battlefield bosh'tet," Mari warned. She loaded another clip and took aim again.

"What? No I wasn't doing—I would never flirt with—wait I mean—ah screw it," Tim muttered. His biotics came to life again, and he took advantage of gravity to throw a Cannibal high up in the air before slamming it back down. He had definitely had better luck connecting with new teammates before.

Elizabeth put one more Reaper into the dirt and loaded her shotgun. No more were coming for the moment.

"Call out," Elizabeth ordered. Tim had to know what that meant and the others would catch on.

"Clear," Tim answered, wisely keeping his distance from Mari.

"Clear," Syris responded next.

Mari answered a few seconds after peering through her Mantis scope. "Clear," she called.

"Good. Let's move. The turret's in that direction. On me people," Elizabeth shouted. The others fell into a loose single-file line behind the captain and they marched. The path twisted and turned across the rugged terrain, and more than once Elizabeth had to watch her footing on the slippery rock. Her briefing had identified a canyon trail as the only entrance to the AA gun, but from what she could see, there were a lot of canyons.

It was also unusually quiet around them. They had all expected Reaper forces to be everywhere; that was why they were a diversion. Unless, Elizabeth thought, the Reapers directly control the various husks and had them at command points and other key locations. They might not encounter anyone unless there was a key point between them and the gun, or a patrol? Did Reaper forces even need a patrol? So many questions. And some of them needed answers for any sort of counterattack to be successful. Elizabeth herself only knew the answers to two. They bled, and they died.

Syris and Mari didn't look inclined to say anything as they progressed further on, presumably into enemy territory. Elizabeth had bumped into Turian soldiers before, and Syris acted like a shining example so far, obeying an order on a dime. Mari she liked. The Quarian's attitude reflected some of her own, at least towards Tim. They must have forgotten that their comms were linked to the entire squad.

Elizabeth sighed inwardly. She knew the lieutenant and he was a good biotic, but she wondered how he'd made it through basic training with that cheeky tongue. It was like he enjoyed frustrating people. But at least he made up for it. His enemies went down, and he did do something for moral. Elizabeth wasn't sure what he did for moral, but he did something for it.

"Damn."

That was Tim right there, the word spoken without meaning. The squad turned to see where his eyes were, and they all took a moment to stare at a Reaper Dreadnought in the distance. It was... sobering to watch. Tim was quiet a little while longer, and then added onto his original word. "Do you think if I shot at it from it, I could hit it?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Don't do it or so help me high heaven, lieutenant. I don't want to risk any surprise we might have," she ordered.

"Yes ma'am," Tim confirmed. "Don't suppose I'd want to throw down with one of them yet."

"Yet?" Syris asked.

"What? I could do it. I just need some preparation is all."

"A lot of preparation," Elizabeth added. She started walking again, and the team followed suit.

"Like a bunch of dreadnoughts," Mari agreed.

"Ouch. So much for team unity," Tim complained.

"We're unified. Just against you," Mari countered.

Tim glanced at Mari, who stared him down coolly. "I'm getting a feeling. We're going to be trouble," he commented. He offered a hand. "Frenemy?"

Obviously that word that didn't translate well, because Mari gave him a very suspicious glare. She had a feeling he may have teased her without her knowing it. It didn't help that Elizabeth shouted for Tim to shut up right after, either. She kept an eye on him as they marched. _He_ was going to be trouble.

Ahead of them, Syris was quiet. He'd heard the word before but wasn't about to get involved. Captain Elizabeth looked like she already had the situation in hand, and Syris didn't know much about Human Alliance personal or operational protocol. For a small moment, he amused himself with wondering if Tim knew, either.

Elizabeth stopped and peered ahead as sound caught her ears. A group of husks were charging at them, moaning incessantly and ready to claw at their armor and flesh. Mari raised her rifle to pick one off but Elizabeth stopped her.

"Save your ammo for when we need it. Engage them in hand-to-hand," Elizabeth ordered. Her own shotgun was already folded and set into the small of her back, while her omni-blade glowed dimly along her arm. Then she let out a fierce shout—that Mari swore came from someone just behind Elizabeth—before charging at the husks head on.

"Like I tried to say before," Tim said, laying down his pistol, "Krogan in a Human body." He chased after Elizabeth though he lacked a battlecry of his own. Syris was right behind them, dual omni-blades bared, and Mari took a deep breath before she plunged in after them. Knife fighting with sniper rifles and pistols in the corridors of a ship was one thing. Knife fighting with just knives was dangerous for Quarians. Fortunately for her, it looked they the four of them would be enough.

Elizabeth jammed her omni-blade into a husk's chest and then booted it away to make room for the next one. She didn't have time to wind up another lunge for it, so she blocked a wide swipe with her arm. The hit was a bit harder than she expected, but she guessed she should have expected that from a Reaper husk. She caught the arm after she blocked it and swung with her omni-blade. She succeeded in slicing the arm off its owner, but the husk barely seemed to notice. Elizabeth head butted it, and then finished it with a lunge.

The N7 captain glanced at her team. Syris was holding up well, and the hesitation in Mari's attacks didn't stop her effectiveness. Elizabeth stabbed one more and then looked for Tim. He was watching their flanks, repelling several at once with biotic throws. But what caught Elizabeth's eye was that a husk was coming up his flank and was in the air to jump on him.

It was too late to warn Tim as the husk landed on him, knocking him to the ground. It tore at his armor around his neck as teeth tried to gnaw their way to flesh. Tim was shouting and elbowing the husk for leverage. Elizabeth jumped past Syris and booted the husk in the gut. Tim got enough leverage to roll out of the way, and then his biotics pulsed. With the tightening of his fist, the husk was locked in place and squeezed until its head burst. Tim might have felt vengeful on it.

"What the hell," he shouted as he got to his feet. There were still a few more husks to deal with, and he brought his biotics to bear against them, tossing them into each other and into the dirt. Syris finished the last squirming husk off. "It was eating me!"

Tim might have continued, except Elizabeth slapped the back of his head. He shut up on surprise more than anything, and it gave her a chance to speak. "Hold still and let me check it, lieutenant," she ordered. Tim's arms fell to his sides. The armor on the right side of his neck had been torn a, leaving jagged pieces, but there was nothing to suggest it would malfunction or prick him.

"If I may captain," Mari stated, eying the armor from where she was, "It looks like it did nothing more than break the actual armor. If he hadn't had a helmet it would have simply attacked his head."

Elizabeth let him be and Tim stomped the offending husk's corpse for good measure. "Freaking cyborg zombie," he sulked.

"It's a husk, lieutenant," Elizabeth stated to keep him in line. Tim nodded as they continued their march, but she could hear snatches of 'cyborg zombie' being muttered. Why were Human husks only called husks anyway? Bah, Elizabeth had more important things to be thinking about. She'd leave that one for Tim.

As they marched, Tim fell alongside Mari. She gave him a look that he was sure was meant as a warning. "Hey, do you think maybe you could help me repair this after the mission's over?" he asked.

It was not the question she expected from the lieutenant. Mari didn't get a chance to answer, however, as they spotted the canyon pass that led to the AA gun. Naturally, there were Reaper forces there. The squad moved to return fire as Marauders took positions. Mari dropped to one knee, aimed her Mantis, and fired. She caught a Marauder in the head and ended its suppressive fire. She ran forward, loading another thermal clip as Elizabeth and Syris moved closer with Tim not far behind them.

Syris activated his omni-tool and several Marauders lost their shielding. It was all the opening Elizabeth needed to open fire with her Katana. Syris took down one Marauder himself before hitting another with a cryo blast. It shattered when Mari shot it.

The fight into the canyon was quick and decisive. Once in, Mari's Mantis became the deadliest weapon out of the four, able to hit down the long pass and strike targets before they got in range. She also noticed Syris planting... something every once in a while as they progressed. They must have been proximity mines.

Elizabeth fired and killed a Cannibal, turning to the next one. She was surprised when the second didn't attack her, but turned to its fallen comrade. Surprise turned to disgust when she noticed it devouring the fallen husk, plating forming on the live one. It didn't get far in its gorging when Syris incinerated it.

"The lieutenant might have a point. Cybernetic zombies," Syris noted, firing down the pass. It was one of the only things he'd said all mission, and Elizabeth couldn't help but agree.

They finished pressing into the pass and found themselves under siege by a large group of cannibals. Heavy fire filled the air, and Elizabeth was forced to duck into cover with the rest of the crew. She looked at her squad. Syris was blind firing over the top of cover, and Mari had disappeared with what had to be an stealth unit. The sniper reappeared as she fired, ducking back into cover. The firing lessened, and Elizabeth could imagine them eating the dead Cannibal.

An idea formed. They would probably be crowded around the body. "Lieutenant! Hit them with a singularity!" she ordered.

"Free of charge!" he answered, and appeared over cover long enough to throw one. Elizabeth peeked over cover. The majority of them had been caught, leaving only two to deal with. She grabbed a pair of grenades from her belt as Syris fired on the two capable husks.

"Frag out!" she declared, and tossed them into the singularity. The result was better than she expected: each of the Cannibals caught in the pull of the singularity died from the explosion and resulting shrapnel. Tim and Syris finished the last two off.

Elizabeth checked the zone. It was clear and the AA gun was just ahead. "Syris, this is your people's tech. Get that thing up and running," she said.

"Yes captain," he confirmed. They had walked barely over ten steps deeper into the area when something crashed in front of them.

It got worse when the something started moving. The squad found themselves face to face with a new husk they hadn't seen yet. It had a Turian's head, but this thing was far too big to be a Marauder. Elizabeth didn't like this. It roared and charged at them, and the squad scattered out of the way.

As the giant monstrosity turned to find its prey, Mari put a shot into it and Tim used a warp on it. Both did little to slow the beast down. "It's a Brute!" Syris shouted, the only one who had knowledge of it. Tim summed it up a bit better. He cursed loudly.

"Syris get in that tower and bring that gun online!" Elizabeth shouted. The Brute's charge had carried it past where they scattered, giving them a clear shot to the gun. Syris took off for the tower without any hesitation and Elizabeth turned back towards the Brute. It had its eyes on her.

She shouted wordlessly at it and the Brute accepted the challenged, charging at her. Elizabeth got a single shot off before she dived out of the way, narrowly avoiding losing a foot. She found her feet and fired on its back, assisted by Mari. But it was too close. The Brute was already on top of her. Elizabeth fired a concussive shot. The Brute shrugged it off and got closer. She was in range of its arms now.

Tim appeared behind it. He had his pistol folded and his biotics pulsing, but Elizabeth knew he wouldn't be able to summon enough strength to lift it in time to stop it. She ran backwards to get out of harm's way as much as she could. An arm moved up to smash down on Elizabeth. Tim used his biotics. Instead of hitting the Brute, he jumped onto its back and held on with all his might.

Any assault the Brute might have down stopped as it realized what was riding it. That gave Elizabeth enough time to get out of range, as well as for both her and Mari to shout. Their words mixed up in Tim's helmet but he didn't have time to listen, as the Brute began rampaging around to get him off.

Elizabeth shouted again, loading her shotgun and trying to hit it without hitting Tim. "What are you doing lieutenant?" she yelled.

"What does it look like?" Tim's voice was understandably jostled.

"Keelah, he's insane!" Mari shouted, putting another Mantis round into the Brute.

"Just shoot the thing already! It's like trying to wrestle a Krogan!" Tim replied, holding on for dear life. Little over thirty seconds had passed since Tim had jumped on, and he was doubting his ability to hold on much longer. He was a biotic, not an acrobat.

Elizabeth pumped her shotgun and charged the Brute again as Mari fired. Elizabeth dropped as the Brute saw her and slid between its arms. Then she began firing as fast as she could. The Brute roared in pain as blast after blast of close range shotgun hits pummeled its torso. Elizabeth needed it to die soon. She only had three more shots left and its arms were right there.

The Brute didn't use its arms, but dropped its weight onto Elizabeth. She gasped at the sudden pressure on her body and fired. She fired again. She—

She stopped when she heard Tim yelp.

"Captain that's me! It's dead!" he shouted. Somewhere amidst the chaos, the Brute had died. Elizabeth's last shot had broken through the other side and hit Tim's shields. Tim spoke again. "Captain? You alive?"

"Get me out of here," she ordered. Blood—or whatever husks used for blood—was starting to slather her, and she didn't have the breathing unit in her N7 helmet.

She heard rustling as Tim slid off the Brute. Mari's voice spoke next. "Uh, I can barely make out your leg, captain," she noted. There was a pause. "I don't think we can get it off you."

"Gun is almost online. Do you want me to come help?" Syris asked.

"No. Get that gun shooting," Elizabeth replied. She almost regretted that order.

Tim, not that he wasn't riding a Brute and getting his bones broken, glanced at the hole Elizabeth had punctured through the Brute. If he used his biotics, he might be able to widen it enough... "Captain, suppose I used biotics and then used lift on you," he began.

"Lieutenant."

"Yes Captain?"

"I hate you."

Tim said nothing, but started to work. Mari felt herself come close to heaving as she climbed on the Brute to stick a hand down the hole. After a moment, she found Elizabeth's arm, and with Tim's help they pulled her out. The sight of made Mari pale, and she turned off her olfactory filters.

Elizabeth did heave. Twice. Wiping the husk blood off her visor, she glared daggers at her lieutenant. She slapped him over the head and then loaded the shotgun she refused to leave under the Brute. The AA gun began firing, and Syris came down to meet them. He said nothing, other than that the objective was complete. Elizabeth sighed and felt her stomach threaten more heaving.

"Back towards the extraction. Move out," she ordered. If her commands sounded harsher than they did at the beginning of the mission, nobody said so. It was safer that way.


	3. On Route

Chapter 3

On Route

When their shuttle returned to the fleet their unit had been attached to, Elizabeth's first thoughts were for a shower. Instead, a private was waiting to direct Elizabeth to command. She snapped a swift salute before heading off. "Lieutenant, get them to debriefing and something to eat," she called over her shoulder.

Tim took his helmet off and relished the instant drop in temperature. He glanced back at Mari and Syris, who looked out of place on a Human vessel. "This way young'uns. Through security and onto our victory quarters," he encouraged, adding a terrible accent that couldn't have been traced to its intended original.

Syris couldn't help but frown as they followed their fellow squad member. "He does know I'm older than him, right?" he asked Mari.

"For some reason, I don't think that would change anything," Mari answered.

"So why can't you find the Migrant Fleet? I thought Quarians always kept in contact with them," Syris mused, Tim striding happily ahead of them.

"The Fleet can cease communications if they need to. But for them to not even be seen must mean they're far from any planet or common port," Mari answered. She had a large guess as to where the Fleet had gone, and it concerned her that she couldn't be there to help her people.

"Probably smart," Syris concurred, drawing a different conclusion. "They'll be less likely to run into Reapers that way."

They reached a checkpoint, where Tim's inability to keep thoughts to himself got him a stern look from the man on duty. They handed their weapons over, and entered the living quarters of the ship. Tim's grin never vanished, and both aliens wondered if he had been grinning during the mission as well. Mari was always interested by how Quarian the Human face was. They were both a mammalian species, but for them both to be so similar confused her. It would be question for biologists, not a soldier like her.

Tim paused in a hall and started pointing. "Right. This is the hall you'll be in the most for now. We've got quarters and showers on our left and a mess room on our right. You need anything just ask. There's always someone off duty who can help," he said.

"What about our weapons?" Syris asked.

"The guys up in the armory handle that. You'll get them back, don't fret," Tim answered casually. Syris didn't like that. "Now if you don't mind, I'm getting a shower and then this hole in my shoulder fixed. No peeking while I'm bathing." Without a wait for their reaction, Tim was off through a door on the left.

Mari folded her arms and glared where he'd gone. "Bosh'tet. Captain Harper needs to be here to do that Human head slap on him," she muttered. Syris stretched his neck. A shower was sounding very nice, and he could do with a bit of food.

"You know, I think you could slap him and get away with it. He seems to understand that as a reason to be quiet," he offered. He'd met a few Turians like Tim. They never spoke out against their officers but always had a quip ready for every circumstance, something to keep the others moving. Apparently Quarians didn't have much of a sense of humor. Perhaps it came from living on a ship.

"Someone should install a slapping machine on top of his helmet then," Mari said. She had a tone that suggested she might do it, and Syris had a brief image of something consistently slapping the back of Tim's head. Then again, maybe Quarians just had a unique sense of humor.

* * *

><p>"Captain Harper, sir," Elizabeth greeted, standing at attention and saluting. "Squad Foxtrot." She was talking through a comm line to the N7 team office on the Citadel. With Admiral Hackett working on a classified project and Admiral Anderson still on Earth, many officers had been scrambled into positions. She and Tim had been promoted to make up differences in the N Operatives of the Alliance Marines. As such, she hadn't gotten much time to learn about the team responsible for the missions of twenty five units.<p>

"Good to see you, Captain Harper," the commander returned. There was a pause. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Brute, sir. Large husk that could give a Krogan a run for his money," Elizabeth explained.

"I won't ask. Your last mission was a success. The Normandy was able to retrieve the Primarch without much difficulty. And the Turians appreciate the help."

"Thank you sir. I have to say the two aliens added to our squad are capable."

"Good to know. We have a new mission for your squad, Captain," the commander stated.

"Sir."

"While you and other teams were running distractions for the Normandy, Squad Tango was on Noveria collecting data for ship armaments. They haven't reported back in. Your squad is to land on Noveria, find Tango, and collect the data," the commander explained. "They were streamlining the Thanix cannons. If we can retrieve that, we can make a lot more than we are right now."

"Yes sir. I'll have the squad sent there as soon as we're ready," Elizabeth assured.

"N7 Command out."

The hologram winked out, and Elizabeth took her helmet off. She grimaced at the sight of it. Most of her time getting ready would be getting this stuff washed off. A shower was in order first, however. Elizabeth wanted any trace of that Brute blood as nothing more than a bad memory.

She was given space as she headed towards the quarters her squad was using, either because of the stone look on her face or the plastered blood on her armor. As she crossed through the halls, she spotted Mari coming out of the mess room. The Quarian straightened when she saw Elizabeth. "Captain Harper," she called.

"Relax Mari, we're not on duty," Elizabeth replied off-handedly.

"Oh," Mari said. Were Human soldiers not always soldiers, or was this some way of Elizabeth being friendly? "Er, do I have time to perform some maintenance on my suit before we get our next mission?"

"We have our next assignment, but we have a few hours to prep. You'll probably want the armor. It's down that way. Hard to miss it," Elizabeth gestured. She would be spending time in the armor later with her armor. Tim would probably be there fixing what that husk had done to his armor. That reminded her she needed to yell at Tim for not showing Mari or Syris the armory.

Mari rubbed the back on her neck. "Could I ask you something about Retch? How do I... deal with him?" she asked.

Elizabeth shrugged. "Hell if I know. I just hit him. Lieutenant's an ass, but he tries... he tries," she offered. Elizabeth left Mari and entered the shower. Nothing felt better than peeling her armor and stepping into the hot water. She would be at war again soon, but for now this was her time. She closed her eyes and let her head rest against the wall.

* * *

><p>"Er," Tim growled at his armor, hoping it would be intimidated enough to work with him. He had changed into his Alliance casual and was standing at a work bench with his torso armor. The neck piece refused to work with the tool in his hand and it seemed like the tool was mocking him. Was this how he looked to other people? He hoped not. It's not like his joking kept people from doing their work.<p>

A voice nearly made him throw everything in sight. "Having trouble?" Mari asked. She had her arms folded and weight shifted on one leg. She looked amused, or at least Tim thought it was amused. She and he didn't seem to get along very well. Maybe if he held his tongue.

"Yeah. It's not listening," he answered. So much for holding his tongue. Mari moved next to him and looked at the piece.

"Try changing the interlock weave towards the bottom first," Mari suggested. Tim did as she said, moving his tool downward. "Wait that wasn't it. No—hold—Keelah! Stand aside!" Mari took Tim's tool from him and moved him over, first fixing what Tim had done and then the husk.

Tim stood awkwardly, feeling as though he'd lost his masculinity. He watched Mari work, quietly thinking that he could have fixed it. Eventually. He started to grow bored. "You're pretty good with your hands," he noted.

"Thanks. I had to learn how to fix anything in case things went wrong," she explained.

"I see," Tim said, looking over at her. "Pretty handy." Mari said nothing but kept working. Tim remained quiet for a long time, and she thought maybe she'd found a way to keep him quiet. Then a thought struck her. Elizabeth had dealt with Tim for much longer than Mari, and she began to wonder why Tim was being so quiet. She glanced over at him and found his eyes wandering.

Tim was indeed admiring Mari. After all, she was wearing that suit of hers. But then he realized something was wrong. It didn't take him long to figure it out. Mari was staring him down.

He knew he had to say something. "It isn't a battlefield," he managed. Something told him that he might have been better to stay quiet.

"Are you always this ridiculous?"

"This is a good day, actually," he quipped. Mari reached up and slapped the back of Tim's head. Tim's mouth closed reflexively before he realized who had hit him. "Hey."

"Do you want your armor fixed or not," she threatened. Tim stayed quiet.


	4. Noveria

Chapter 4

Noveria

A different type of tension filled the shuttle as it descended into the planet atmosphere. Menae had been fast, dirty, intense, but most of all it had been a reflexive stroke. The Reaper invasion had initially put many soldiers into reacting. Now that they'd had a few days to gain their heads and a mission under their belts, they could think. And thought provoked a danger as deadly as a bullet: the belief of a danger.

As such, the shuttle this time was brooding. There was no telling what they would find down there, and it put the squad on an uneasy edge. As soldiers they could shoulder it, but that didn't make it go away. The only person seemingly unaffected was Elizabeth. She stood facing the door, one hand on the ceiling and the other on the handle of her Katana, just as she had the last mission. In her mind, the mission was the mission. An enemy threatened their security, and she would act against them accordingly. It didn't matter to her if they were 'cybernetic zombies.'

The rest of the squad was not as easily placated. Syris for one, during moments like these, was grateful he was unimaginative as a child. It made it easier to ignore the part of his brain that was trying to procure phantoms. The Reapers might look like nightmares, but if he shot one it would hit. Still, he would have liked to know at least something more than the MIA status of Squad Tango.

"Here's our stop," Elizabeth called out as the shuttle slowed. The door opened and she brought her shotgun to bear just in case. A quick once-over confirmed no one was in sight and she hopped onto the landing pad. The rest of the squad filed out behind her. Mari glanced once at the shuttle as it flew away. Then she had her eye to her Mantis scope.

They proceeded down the walkway. The only sound was the wind and their footsteps. Elizabeth led point, with Mari in back and the two men in the center, able to support from a longer distance than Elizabeth. They reached the down and Elizabeth ordered Syris to hack it.

He activated his omni-tool and was about to start a bypass when the door opened automatically, unlocked. "That's not right," Syris muttered. "Captain, standard procedure for doors like these is for them to at least be manually activated."

"So someone changed that?" Elizabeth asked.

"Let me check. One moment," Syris said. There was a pause as he went through the door's programming. "No. There's no sign that the programming has been changed. Permission to speak freely, Captain?"

"Shoot."

Syris assumed that was Human slang for yes. "This is beyond strange."

"I don't like this," Tim mumbled. His pistol was lowered, but the hum of his biotics had begun to fill the air. "Can't you tell? It's too quiet."

"Stop humming lieutenant, and maybe I'll be able to hear for myself," Elizabeth ordered. The last thing she needed was Tim getting superstitious on them. Tim nodded and forced himself to calm down. His heart rate slowed and the hum of biotics disappeared. Elizabeth increased her helmet's audio reception.

Tim was right. Besides the wind, she couldn't pick up any sign of anything else. Even the tech inside should have made some noise through the open door. It did concern her. But she was the captain and they had a squad to find.

"Ignore it. Let's get inside and find Tango," Elizabeth said. She went in first, and the rest of the squad followed. Inside, it was just as quiet, if not more so without the wind. They were in a reception room, with multiple passages ahead. Elizabeth stared around the area before she brought up the schematics. "That way, people. There should be an elevator that takes us further in. Squad Tango would've headed there."

A buzz sounded in her ear, and Elizabeth flinched at the volume. She lowered it back down and activated the comm. "Captain Harper this is your shuttle. You guys got a nasty blizzard forming just outside. The shuttle's fuel lines will freeze if I stay in that," the shuttle pilot explained.

"How long is it going to last?"

"Probably no more than a few hours," the pilot replied.

"Right. Return to the fleet and come back when it's gone. We'll be waiting," Elizabeth requested.

"Yes ma'am."

The line ended, and Elizabeth looked back at her squad. She could almost picture the concern behind Tim's mask. "What are you looking at? To the elevator," she ordered. They moved on.

Unlike the outer door, the elevator was disconnected from the power. Syris turned it back on and they rode up into the main Noveria compound. It was just as quiet as it had been the entire mission, with only minimal life support keeping them warm and breathing. In the darkness, Elizabeth might have passed by it if not for her helmet's targeting and identifying system. A gun was lying on the ground.

Elizabeth walked up to where the M-98 Mantis had been dropped, as if from the ceiling. She put her shotgun away and picked it up. There was nothing out of place about it. It was clean and looked to operate properly, and the heat sink and ammo block were unused. The only out of place part about it was that it was out of place.

"Captain?" Tim called.

"If you're going to crack something lieutenant, please keep it to yourself," she warned. Elizabeth was starting to get on edge as well. There was no body nearby, so whoever got the jump on the rifle's owner had dragged them off. No soldier on either side would just abandon a perfectly good weapon.

"Yes Captain," Tim conceded. For once, Mari almost wished he'd gone ahead. She'd rather have him spouting bosh'tet nonsense than this uneasiness. Elizabeth tossed the Mantis to Tim, and he caught it by the barrel.

"The data's in Synthetic Insights. Syris and I will go up and get the data. You take Mari and sweep the perimeter," Elizabeth concluded. Tim strongly disliked splitting up in a place like this, but he knew better than to argue with her tone.

"Don't get eaten," he offered, putting away the pistol and walking away with Mari behind him. Elizabeth could sense the bravado behind his voice. Tim was getting antsier by each discovery. Soon he would be biotically punching holes to clear area.

Syris stepped closer. "Permission to speak, Captain Harper?" he asked.

"Whenever. You probably won't fill the air with chatter like the lieutenant," Elizabeth confirmed.

"Don't you think Specialist vas Rayya might get temperamental with Lieutenant Retch?" he questioned.

Elizabeth shrugged. "I expect at least one of them to be an adult. And Tim could use the smack. Now let's move. The sooner we get that data, the quicker we're gone," she said. Together they made their way down the halls towards the elevator that led to the SI office. Like before, the elevator was down. Syris began the rewiring process and Elizabeth kept an eye out.

Something caught her attention and her shotgun was up. Elizabeth peered down the corridor for the longest time, until Syris spoke up. "Captain Harper? Did you see something?" he asked. There was nothing in sight.

Slowly, Elizabeth lowered her shotgun. Her gaze didn't leave the corridor. "No. Let's get in," she ordered. They stepped into the elevator and rode up. The entire way up, she battled with her mind. She had seen something. So either Tim's nervousness was catching on… or something was waiting.

No sooner did they enter the Synthetic Insight's office than Tim's shouting filled the radio. "Contact! Contact! Holy f-ing shit that's a lot of contacts!"


End file.
